Know who to trust. If there’s a tagline or a motto for this movie, that’s it. The phrase is repeated multiple times and tested out by various characters in several situations. From the very beginning, the always decent Captain America has to reassess his relationships with everyone he knows, from his next-door neighbor and the guy he meets during his daily run through Washington, DC, to the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is not Nick Fury, but Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford. Suffice to say Redford’s awesome and makes the most out of his character who’s not exactly who he seems.
No one here is who they seem, actually. There are a few special surprises, such as when Falcon shows up to help Captain America in his quest to save the world. There’s also a few dull spots like the big reveal of who the winter soldier really is. I understand why it’s a shock to Captain America (and that revelation gives Chris Evans a chance to shine), but I don’t get the need to hide it from the audience for the same amount of time, since it’s painfully clear who he is for any viewer paying attention. It’s also weird that right after his identity is revealed in the film, the Winter Soldier simply sheds the mask that was previously part of his costume.
But nitpicking aside, the conflict between the Winter Soldier and the choices his true identity forces Captain America to make are brilliantly executed and give our favorite hero an actual challenge as to what is the right thing to do. Like Superman, one of Captain America’s defining characteristics is that he does the right thing every time, no matter what the circumstances, and while he does end up making the correct choices here, he goes through a credible struggle in getting to these decisions. Part of what makes Chris Evans’ so good as Captain America is his ability to convincingly depict this internal conflict while at the same time coming off perfectly as the straight as an arrow, boy scout that Captain America has traditionally been.
This gentlemanly aspect of Captain America is used to great effect in his scenes with Black Widow. As we know from The Avengers, Black Widow used to be a spy for the KGB. She has a very shady past and uses questionable methods on the job that contrast nicely with those of Captain America, who always plays by the rules. In the magnificent opening action sequence in which they rescue a group of hostages, Black Widow takes on a side mission without consulting Captain America, nearly getting both of them killed, but seeing nothing wrong with her actions. She’s a modern day spy, used to dealing with murky situations. Meanwhile, Captain America is still stuck in his black and white 1940s army-boy mentality and has trouble accepting the compromises the good guys have to make to be effective at their jobs. He’s also more traditional in his private affairs, and is uncomfortable when Black Widow starts prying into his love life. At every turn, no matter how ugly the plot gets, Black Widow tries to set him up with a date, bringing in some humor to counterpoint the drama and the action.
Poor Captain America has had two years to adjust to our world, but he’s still stuck in the past. He even has trouble letting go of Peggy Carter, his girlfriend from the first film who is now an elderly woman close to death, which plays out a little strangely (in part because its a 32 year actress disguised as a 90 year old woman), but serves to remind the audience that Captain America’s past has not been completely erased, that it still matters. Aside from that, jokes about Captain America being completely out of his element are kept at a minimum, but they are extremely effective when they do show up.
The plot of the film revolves around HYDRA which is once again trying to bring chaos into the world. They have agents everywhere, we are told. This makes Captain America’s trust issues a little harder to shake, and it allows the filmmakers to throw in a commentary on our current age of mass surveillance, in which everyone is a potential target. Not to worry. Nick Fury, the only other character audiences should trust completely, guides Captain America in his mission to take down HYDRA. At times, Fury simply relays orders, but more than ever before he gets a lot of stuff to do in this movie, including getting in an extended car chase/ firefight which is the film’s most accomplished action sequence.
A few things I loved about the action is its relative stability. The camera occasionally goes rogue in the style of the Bourne movies, but most of the time, it is stable, and I could tell what was happening most of the time as I watched the movie. Part of this also has to do with the fact that most of the action takes place outside in broad daylight, strengthening the visual clarity of the film. It sounds like a simple thing, but one of my biggest issues with Thor: The Dark World is that I couldn’t see anything because, as the title suggests, everything takes place in the dark, creating muddled and confusing action sequences! Through it all, however good or bad, Samuel Jackson proves to be one badass superhero, a fact that cannot be disputed. The only trouble with the fantastic action pieces in the movie is that I don’t see how the filmmakers will be able to top them in upcoming installments of the Marvel universe, and I fear that their takeaway will be that they’ll feel a need to go even bigger for the next film’s action set pieces. 6 Helicarriers, perhaps? The Avengers featured one in its climax; this one had three.
I won’t spoil much, but by the end of the movie all three Helicarriers are sadly destroyed and Marvel’s cinematic universe has changed forever. As always, the conflict is resolved with every super relatively happy, but by the time The Avengers 2 comes around, they will be more scattered and harder to track down. In the meantime, they’ll have more freedom to live their lives as they please. It’s a very interesting status quo that’s established. I look forward to watching how this plays out in the future, but for now I think I’ll take another look at this fantastic entry in the genre.
Verdict- 3.5/4Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2h. 16min. PG-13.
Random Thoughts:
- There are not one, but two post-credit scenes! I have no idea what the first one means or the implication of the second one. I also don't know for which films these scenes will be important, but make sure you watch them both. - The sequel for the film, which will also be directed by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, is set to come out on May 6, 2016.- Why doesn't Iron Man lend Captain America a hand? Why doesn't Hulk? Thor?
No comments:
Post a Comment